Famous South African - South African Celebrities

Resilient, gritty, and hardworking are some of the words that describe the people of South Africa. For a country that has been plagued by political turmoil and unrest for the major part of the 20th century, her inhabitants have always managed to bounce back with even higher determination than before. Centuries ago the country’s vast reserves of gold and diamond attracted the Europeans to settle here thereby influencing not just the cultural heritage, but also the social make up.

Find out more about the greatest South Africans, including Elon Musk, Charlize Theron, Nelson Mandela, Oscar Pistorius and Candice Swanepoel.

The Most Famous South African

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
YolandiDecember 1, 1984South AfricanCheck out all that you wanted to know about Yolandi Visser, the famous South African singer and actress; her birthday, her family and personal life, her boyfriends, fun trivia facts and more.
Errol Musk1946South AfricanErrol Musk is a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor
Cariba HeineOctober 1, 1988Australian, South AfricanCariba Heine is an Australian-South African actress and dancer
Sarah Baartman1787South AfricanSarah Baartman was a South African woman who became a source of amusement for the Europeans in 19th century due to her abnormally large buttocks
Christiaan BarnardNovember 8, 1922South AfricanDr
Candice SwanepoelOctober 20, 1988South AfricanCandice Swanepoel is a South African supermodel, associated with the popular brand Victoria’s Secret
Alex LangeMarch 3, 2001South AfricanAlex Lange is a French-South African model, who is quite popular on Instagram
Charlize TheronAugust 7, 1975South African, AmericanCharlize Theron is a Hollywood actress best known for her award winning role in the film ‘Monster’
Cyril RamaphosaNovember 17, 1952South AfricanCyril Ramaphosa is the fifth and present post-apartheid President of South Africa
John KaniAugust 30, 1942South AfricanJohn Kani is a South African actor, voice actor, playwright and director
Albert John Luthuli

Albert John Luthuli

Albert John Luthuli was a leader of black resistance in South Africa

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician

Shaka

Shaka kaSnzangakhona was an influential Zulu tribal monarch

South African1787199 views

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu is a South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop

Allan McLeod Cormack

Allan McLeod Cormack was a South African-American physicist, who received the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Max Theiler

Max Theiler was a South African-American virologist who developed a vaccine against yellow fever

Oscar Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius is an athlete of South African origin, who has fetched several laurels as a runner

Bryce Courtenay

Bryce Courtenay was an Australian novelist, one of the country’s best-selling authors

Nelson Mandela

A Nobel laureate, Nelson Mandela was the man responsible for overthrowing apartheid & unifying the country of South Africa

South AfricanJuly 18, 1918124 views

Nikki Williams

Nikki Williams is a South African singer and songwriter known for her forceful and gutsy singing